Forte di Belvedere

This fortress, built at the end of the 16th c. at the wish of the grand duke Ferdinando I, was designed by Bernardo Buontalenti and Don Giovanni de’ Medici. This fort fit into the overall defensive system of Florence as a bastion providing four fortified fronts.

The portal cut in the eastern side leads, up a ramp, to the upper level of the embankments, now partly covered with grass. From here you can see the inside part of the bastion dominating the city.

If you walk along the ramparts of the perimeter, you can enjoy a magnificent close-up view of Florence, the Arno valley and the surroundings hills. At the centre of the fort is the earlier Palazzina di Belvedere, built in 1560-70 to plans attributed to Bartolomeo Ammannati.

Open only for special exhibitions, it can be reached along a stairway. The white plaster surfaces, set between angle stones in “pietra forte”, are pierced with windows and doors designed for “bel vedere”, the essence and meaning of the building.